Filipino myth-inspired board game ‘Engkanto’ launches on Kickstarter
A new tabletop game inspired by the mythic and colorful characters of Philippine folklore has just debuted on crowd-funding website Kickstarter.
Australian YouTuber and content creator Dwaine Woolley recently launched his tabletop board game titled Engkanto on the site in the hopes of gathering much needed support to kick off production.
Woolley, who describes himself a “100% Australian na may pusong Pinoy,” runs a YouTube channel about Filipino culture and family with Pinay wife, Shanta.
His epic fantasy tabletop game is set in pre-colonial Philippines with heroes and monsters of Filipino folklore.
Here’s the brief description:
Far off the coast of Samar lies a mysterious island that the Tribes say is cursed. All who venture there never return. Enchanted beings called Engkanto disguise themselves as humans and lure innocent villagers to the island where they are taken to another plane of existence known as Biringan City. Legend says that once a human enters Biringan City, they can never return to the human world.
The Engkanto are under the command of the Great Moon Eating Serpent, Bakunawa! Every night the native tribes of Samar perform a ritual to stop the Serpent from devouring the seven moons. But now the fear of being taken to Biringan City has caused them to cease performing the ritual, leaving Bakunawa free to feast!
To challenge Bakunawa, the Gods have called upon four heroes endowed with the power of the legendary bird, Sarimanok to sail to the cursed island, find Biringan City, rescue the lost villagers and defeat Bakunawa.
The game is designed for one to four players. Each player controls a Bayani (Hero) whose goal is to roam the Enchanted Forests, explore dark caves, cross seas and head to Samar to find the legendary Biringan City. During their adventure, players can find the treasure that can be offered to ancient Filipino Deitys. Players must also collect items and weapons to help them survive and fend off the Engkanto that will try to destroy them.
As of Nov. 9, the Engkanto board game has acquired the support of 132 backers, generating $23,882 out of the target $25,526 the game intends to raise.
For more info, check out the game’s page on Kickstarter, or Woolley’s YouTube channel.